Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-15
General Landes Post No. 5 G. A. R.
of Lynn, Mass, Cordially Received
by President Cleveland.
1 Trusted Official In the Treasury
Department Guilty OF DeireGd-
ing the Government.
Promotion OF the OhiciaI-A Whole
sale System of Forgery.
RECEIVED BY TIKI PRESIDENT.

Sable, of Lynn, Mass, which arrived
here Wednesday from Virgins, called on
the President last evening and YVES re
the President came down the stairs to
receive them Post Commander WaIker
stepped forWsrd snd said: Comrades
of General Landes Post No. >, pro-
pose three cheers for Grover Cleveland,
President OF the United States" The
veterans gave three cheers and tiger
with s vigOr and earnestness that made
the sir ring. The President, with smiles,
addressed the visitors as follows: al
can only say TO you, gentlemen, that
am glad TO meet you here. | have eX-
tended to you this courtesy SIS l have
lately with much pleasure to other posts
of the Grand Army Of the Republic on
their way home from visits to their
southern friends. l want you to
understand thst l have lost no confidence
il the Grand Army of the Republic as an
organization, Notwithstanding the recent
occurrence, TO which it is not necessary
to further allude. II is inGomprehensiole
to me that men who have risked their
lives to save the government should abate
one iot or title of respect and support
which every good citizen owes TO the
government and the constituted au-
thorities l greet you then as citizens as
well as veterans, and 1 shall be pleased
to take you all by the hand.
SENSATION IN THE TREASURY DEPART-
MENT.
WASHINGTON, July 8.-Something of O
sens, ton was created in the Treasury
Dapa, ment this afternoon by the disCOy-
erV that trusted Official in the depart
ment has been guilty of 8 systematic at
tempt to defr2ud the government. The
officer was arrested at Wilkesbarre yes
terday evening as he was about to take
the tram fCr Washington, and Ms dis
missgl from service was ordered by See
rotary Fairchild this aftern Don. HIS
name is Oscar j. Harvey. He has been
employed in the department since. June,
1855, when he was appointed chief At the
horse claims division of the Third At /
tors GlliCe. It was while he held tn
position that he perpetrated the frauds
with which ne is now charged. Ga the
ID of June last ne was transferred to the
head Of division in the Second Comp
troller's Office, @ division which has
charge of claims Of the same nature as
those in the division which he had inst
left. Austin II. Brown Of Indianapolis
succeeded Harvey as chief of the horse
of claims division, and soon after he TOOK
charge of the Office ne discovered frauds
Of which his predecessor had been guilty.
They consisted OF the passage OF forty
three fraudulent claims for horses, az
gregating $4,000, and the preparation of
many additional cases of g similar nature
which were under consideration in the
office. Soon after Mr.. Brown took charge
he discovered something was wrong aud
reported the matter to the Secretary, and
the frauds have been run down. In most
cases the claims arose for horses
lost during the late war, and are
presented in the names of officers of
Pennsylvania and New Jersey regiments.
All of the cases appeared to have been
prosecuted by "W. w. Wynn" first OF
Philadelphia and then of Washington,
and the services of 81 C. .Manford, "notary
public of Philadelphia, were called into
reuulsition in connection with the neCes-
ssry aGidavits. The work involved g
very large number of forgeries, official
and otherwise, and the stealing of nu-
merous discriminating papers from the
1873 claims it was found that signatures
involving the names of thirty-eight
officers were forgeries. Subsequently it
was found that the Second Auditors
name had been forged In certificates re
ceived from that Office, and also that
none Of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey
cases IN which MIR. Wynn was attorney
were entered on the records of that office.
The claims which had been allowed were
then overhauIed, aud in almost every in
stance il was found that the second aud
ttor's certificate as to signature mad been
distracted together with other pa
pels, The stamp Of the maiI-room OF the
third sUditOr's office and the stamp Of the
horse claims division had been forged
and the dates arranged so as
to bring them within the limita-
ton fixed for settling these Claims.
TIE stamp Of the Quartermaster-
Generals Office was also forged The
drafts were regularly issued and an ex-
animation of such Gs have been returned
as paid shows that Harvey and Wynn
are one and the same persons, and tha!
although the drafts were drawn in favor
of the claimants the money with one OF
two exceptions went directly to Harvey
or to some OF bis relations. He had
secured their payment by forging the sig
nature of the payee and then indorsing
| the draft with his own name. sManfOrd,
| the Philadelphia notary, like Wynn, the
attorney, was found to be myth. Most
| of the notaries and persons named in the
claims are unknown to the Department
| In addition to the forty taree
cases passed there have been 15C
similar cases adjusted, aggregating $780,,
| 600, and there are still pending, unad.
/ iusted, sixty eight cases, amounting to
| Sl3, 900, making total of 1Gl fraudulent
cases which might have eventually been
/ psid but for the discovery. Harvey left
| Washington about the lst inst. on g short
vacation. As already stated, ne was ar
rested as he was about to return. He
was brought TO this city by officers Of
! the secret service, who have Kept him
under surveillance since he wss first sus-
! pected. He asked to see the Secretary,
and when he was informed of the EVIL
| dence against MIN he broke down COM
pletely making full confession Of guilt
| He declared that he had been goaded
to this action by man with whom he
had been IN partnership and who urged
him to make the best OF his appoint
ment. He asserted that he had accom-
pIces. Harvey was held in $4,000 Dai
! for the grand jury this afternoon.
AWAITING LAwToN'S ACCEPTANCE.
| WASHINGTON, July San evening pa,
per says: AS soon Is Minister LaWtOr
is received officially at Vienna, Mr.. J
Fenna Lee, secretary of legation, and
during the absence otthe regular minis